Tin Shed? It's a lie. These
remarkable wines are not made in a tin shed, but rather a solidly
built stone barn, albeit one that is rather bare and rustic. We’re
still out in the Eden Valley here, which at this time of year, as
winter gives way to spring, has a beautiful stillness and ruggedness
to it.

This
is a joint venture between Andrew Wardlaw (right), who in a
previous life was a viticulturist working with Henschke, and Peter
Clarke, chef/owner of Vintners restaurant in Angaston. They starting
making wines together in 1998. Andrew has travelled a bit –
including spells in Burgundy, Alsace and the Northern Rhône – and
seems to have a clear idea of the sorts of wines he wants to make.
They’re quite different to the traditional big, ripe, chocolatey,
rather oaky reds that the Barossa has made its name with. Instead
the emphasis is more on elegance and definition. Andrew is
non-interventionist and the wines are made using natural yeast
ferments and unobtrusive oak influence.

I tried through some barrel samples. Once again the
influence of site was emphasized: different bits of the Eden and
Barossa make wines that do taste different. The 2004s tasted here
were fantastic, and I’m looking forward to see the results when
the wines are bottled. I reckon I’ll be buying some.

First, a Grenache 2004 from Moppa, the coolest part of
the Barossa. It has a gingery, spicy nose which is aromatic and
expressive with lovely pure, spicy fruit. A hit.

Second, a Mourvèdre 2004 from Moppa. Massively lively,
taut and spicy with a drying mouthfeel. Vivid and expressive with
good spicy structure. Fantastic.

Single Wire Shiraz 2003 (blended in cask)
Lovely fine aromatic fruit on the nose. Quite pure. The palate is
expressive with lovely structure and some spiciness on the finish.
Really impressive quality of fruit with some elegance. Very
good/excellent 93/100